Notably not on the list are "smartphones". Dell has played with the segment in the past, launching the Dell Aero -- a budget Android model in early 2010 -- followed by the fancier Dell Venue (Android) and Dell Venue Pro (Windows Phone 7) later this year. But none of these phones achieved major sales success, and by mid-2012 Dell had quietly pulled the plug on this fledgling project.

While better looking, the Dell Venue Pro did not produce sufficient sales for Dell to continue the expensive business of smartphone development.

On Friday Michael Dell quashed any hopes of a Dell smartphone comeback, while vowing that his company would deliver great mobile product in other segments like tablets.

Making "enterprise class" smartphones sounds like a one way ticket to obsolescence and profit-loss. Especially with BYOD (bring your own device) being the prevailing policy for most companies anyway. Because nobody wants to juggle one phone for work, and one phone for personal use.

quote: (although Samsung has tried and failed with their GSIII-esque WP8 offering)

That's because nobody wanted a Windows Phone. The devices themselves have been fine.

If Samsung couldn't pull it off, as you say, what possible hope in Hell does Dell have in doing so?

While I wouldn't say that Dell does have a chance, because I don't think they do, Samsung isn't really interested in selling Win Phone. It's very likely the only reason they're still doing it is the same reason HTC is still doing it. It's so that Microsoft doesn't charge them the full licensing fee they're charging other Android phone makers who aren't making Win Phone. In HTC's case, they're too small, and are doing too poorly to afford it, and in the case of Samsung, they're probably saving more this way than their total costs for producing the very small number of Win Phone's that they are, so they come out ahead of the game.